Another year of TASNG activity!

The Chair’s report – Nico Marcar

The Toronto Area Sustainable Neighbourhood Group held their AGM in October.

Once again TASNG has had a successful year thanks to the dedicated work of our committee, project leaders, members and friends. We maintain our broad focus in three areas: Recycling & Waste Management, Cycling & Pedestrian and Landcare. We maintain strong links with the Coal Point Progress Association (CPPA). The Chair acted as Treasurer in 2018.

This year we initiated a Repair Cafe project, in collaboration with Warners Bay SNG, the Boolaroo Women’s Shed and Upcycling Newcastle. Credit goes to Stephen Dewar, Lois Simpson and Cathy Stewart (Warners Bay SNG) for spearheading this project and successfully obtaining a Council Environmental Sustainability Grant. Two repair cafes have been held so far in Toronto and two in Warners Bay. Activities have included repairs to clothing, basic bicycle maintenance/repairs/checks and sharpening of garden hand tools.

Since developing plans in late 2017 for beautification of the entry into western Toronto with a native plant garden on Awaba Road, we now have sign off from Council, RMS and other agencies. We have received generous funding support from Centennial Coal, Origin Energy, the Toronto District Garden Club and Bunnings. Construction will commence shortly.

In April TASNG joined other community groups (CPPA, RMYC and Rotary Sunrise) to form a Toronto Foreshore Protection Group (TFPG) coalition to halt Council’s plans for a multi-storey development on Toronto’s foreshore at Bath Street, next to the RMYC. Numerous discussions and meetings with Councillors and Council staff have occurred. The TFPG organised a successful public meeting in September attended by over 450 people. A submission along with over 5000 petition signatures will be presented to Council.

With the CPPA, we continue to monitor DA applications in the area and work with residents to voice concerns over excessive development. It was very pleasing that our efforts were rewarded when the NSW Land & Environment Court rejected the development proposal at 2 Brighton Ave. Unfortunately, we were unable to stop Council’s acceptance of the excessive height of the 37 unit, non-compliant development at 151-155 Brighton Ave.

With the Alliance, we continue to be a strong voice for the abolition of single-use plastic bags locally and throughout NSW, engaging with businesses and supermarket chains in Toronto and other Lake Macquarie towns. With the Five Bays and other SNGs, ‘swap bag’ stations have been set up as well as lobbying of Cafes to use recyclable take away coffee cups. We again took part in Clean Up Australia day.

We continue our active campaign to develop a shared pathway between Kilaben Bay and Rathmines, with support from the Rathmines SNG, and have placed this issue, along with the need for other cycle path connections, with Council’s Active Transport Advisory group.

We are mindful of the need to engage more with residents of Kilaben Bay and Toronto. With Council, Disability Links, Five Bays SNG and others we have now organised two, well attended (100-150 people) community picnics on the Toronto Foreshore (Nov ‘17 and Feb ‘18) and a conversation cafe at the Toronto Library. Our next picnic is to be held in November.